The essays in this volume centre upon the epoch-making papacy of Gregory VII (1073-85), and complement the author's major study of the pope. They look at the formation and expression of Gregory's ideas, notably in relation to simony and clerical chastity, and emphasise his religious motivation; attention is also given to the impact of his pontificate on the Anglo-Norman lands and Scandinavia. The book further includes extended discussion of the contrasting figure of Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury (1070-89), and of the complex question of the interaction between him and Pope Gregory.

Essays on the brief but tumultuous reign of Harold II, and one of our most important sources of knowledge of the time - the Bayeux Tapestry. Harold II is chiefly remembered today, perhaps unfairly, for the brevity of his reign and his death at the Battle of Hastings. The papers collected here seek to shed new light on the man and his milieu before and after that climax. They explore the long career and the dynastic network behind Harold Godwinesson's accession on the death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, looking in particular at the important questions as to whether Harold's kingship was opportunist or long-planned; a usurpation or a legitimate succession in terms of his Anglo-Scandinavian kinships? They also examine the posthumous legends that Harold survived Hastings and lived on as a religious recluse.The essays in the second part of the volume focus on the Bayeux Tapestry, bringing out the small details which would have resonated significantly for contemporary audiences, both Norman and English, to suggest how they judged Harold and the other players in the succession drama of 1066. Other aspects of the Tapestry are also covered: the possible patron and locations the Tapestry was produced for; where and how it was designed; and the various sources - artistic and real - employed by the artist. Contributors: H.E.J. Cowdrey, Nicholas J. Higham, Ian Howard, Gillian Fellows-Jensen, Stephen Matthews, S.L. Keefer, Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Chris Henige, Catherine Karkov, Shirley Ann Brown, C.R. Hart, Michael Lewis. GALE OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester.

New research on aspects of the political, social and religious history of the British Isles from 10c-13c, with related material on western Europe. The 1993 International Conference of the Haskins Society, held at the University of Houston, produced a varied collection of papers on numerous aspects of the medieval history of the British Isles, with related material on other Western European countries. The articles in this volume, most of which derive from the conference, focus strongly on the topic of religion, with stimulating essays on women religious, Archbishop Lanfranc and the Anglo-Saxon hagiographic tradition; however, other subjects are also explored, including Anglo-Norman litigation and the turbulent state of Denmark in the ninth century. Contributors: CARY L. DIER, SUSAN J. RIDYARD, K.L. MAUND, EDWARD J. SCHOENFELD, ROBIN FLEMING, BERNARD S. BACHRACH, PATRICIA HALPIN, EMILY ALBU HANAWALT, DANIEL F. CALLAHAN, H.E.J. COWDREY, DAVID ROFFE

Recent research on the Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Viking and Angevin worlds of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The eleventh volume of the Haskins Society Journal presents recent research on the Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Viking and Angevin worlds of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Topics include reconsideration of aspects of Charles Homer Haskins' Renaissance of the Twelfth Century seventy years after its publication, as well as studies of the Liber Eliensis, the English coronation ordo, several studies of ecclesiastical politics, and more. This volume of the Haskins Society Journal includes papers read at the 16th Annual Conference of the Charles Homer Haskins Society in Houston in November 1997 and at other conferences in the year following the Haskins. Contributors include MARCIA COLISH, JENNIFER PAXTON, H.E.J. COWDREY, GEORGE GARNETT, JOHN FRANCE, PETER BURKHOLDER, BARBARA YORKE, TOM KEEFE, EMILY ALBU, KARL MORRISON.

Lanfranc of Pavia, archbishop of Canterbury from 1070 to 1089, was a scholar-monk who brought to his position a rich experience in Italy and Normandy. He was William the Conqueror's trusted collaborator in ordering the English church and kingdom. In this first full scholarly study of Lanfranc for thirty years, H. E. J. Cowdrey reconsiders Lanfranc's career, focusing on his vision, capability, and achievements. He brings him out from the shadow of his successor, St Anselm, and reveals him as among the very greatest of the archbishops of Canterbury.

Gregory VII ranks among the very greatest popes of all time, and as an outstanding figure of European and even world history. The letters in his Register, of which this is the first complete modern translation, shed penetrating light on his personality, purposes, and actions, and especially on his often dramatic dealings with the kings and kingdoms of Europe in the late eleventh century.

The reign of Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) is critically important in the history of the medieval Church and Papacy. This original and authoritative study, the first for over fifty years, records the remarkable career of the Pope who started life as a humble clerk of the Roman church, gave his name to the Gregorian Reforms, and finally died in exile at Salerno. His reign prepared the way for an age of strong papal monarchy throughout medieval Europe.